A tired but happy group of Har Vagai students at King David this morning!

Bruchim Habaim! The hallways are filled with the sounds of an additional twenty students! We are delighted to welcome our friends from Har Vagai who arrived last night. It is our turn to reciprocate the warm hospitality we receive each year when we travel to the Etzbah HaGalil with our Grade 8 students. Our sincere gratitude to the Jewish Federation’s Gesher Chai program that makes this living bridge possible.

King David High School is filled with motivated individuals who want to make the school the best that it can be for the entire student body. These students are involved in the King David Student Council. Student Council consists of volunteers from each grade, who are responsible for creating fun events to bolster school spirit, fundraising for various initiatives, and ensuring that the voices of the student body are being heard. This month, the Student Council organized a Movember Challenge. During the month of November, staff and students competed against each other to see who could grow the best moustache. As part of this challenge, all students could participate in a non-uniform day to help raise money to support the Movember challenge. Congratulations to Shane, Grade 12, and Mr. Knapp who were voted the winners! All the money raised from this event will be donated in their name to the Movember Challenge.

As Movember concludes and we turn our attention toward Hanukkah, Student Council has many fun and exciting activities for the student body. We can’t wait to see what they have planned. Stay tuned.

~ Sydney, Grade 10

Student Council Members:

Grade 10: Maytar, Adina, Elise, Leah

Grade 11: Jordan, Eytan, Talia B., Eli F., Lis, Daniel

Grade 12: Matty, Izzy, Rachel, Aria, Adi, Shmuel, Shane

Happenings this Week

The Sounds of Grade 8 Music

On Thursday, after just 12 weeks in Mr. Seguin’s music class, we were invited to a music session during which staff and peers were treated to renditions of "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones, "Riptide" by Vance Joy, "I’m Yours" by Jason Mraz and "Wonderwall" by Oasis. Switching from keyboard and guitar to drums and vocals, it was wonderful to see the students move out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves vocally and with new instruments!

A Surprise Visit from Jonny Raich, Class of 2011

Head of School, Russ Klein, and Deputy Head of School, Alex Monchamp, are delighted to see Jonny who is currently living in Israel and serving in the IDF

Yasher Koach! We are so Proud!

Zeke Blumenkrans, Class of 2012

DAY OF GIVING: National Philanthropy Day is a special day set aside to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy, and those people active in the philanthropic community, have made to our lives, our communities, and our world. The Vancouver chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals hosted its 18th edition at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Nearly 1,000 people attended the afternoon luncheon and awards ceremony, hosted by Dawn Chubai and AFP president Jennifer Johnstone. Seven individuals and businesses, noted for significant contributions to the community through philanthropy, were acknowledged with the prestigious Giving Hearts Award.

Donating hours of time, talent, and treasure to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and other charities, Zeke Blumenkrans received the Youth Philanthropist Giving Hearts Award from Telus’s Katie Griffiths.

At the Jewish Community Centre’s Annual General Meeting on Monday evening, Michelle Pollock, President of the Board and Eldad Goldfarb, Executive Director, recognized two individuals for their exemplary volunteer service. King David student, Giovanna, Class of 2019, and King David Alumna parent, Marina Vinnitsky (Emma, Class of 2012) were recipients of the President’s Award for Volunteer Service. Kol Hakavod!

Giovanna, Class of 2019 Marina Vinnitsky, Alumna Parent

Giovanna (affectionately known as Gigi at the JCC) volunteered every day throughout the summer with Camp Shalom.

Marina was recognized for her voluntary service in the Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library

King David Alumnus Pays it Forward

Aaron graduated from King David in 2010. He went on to study at McGill University and at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, focussing on Economics and Economic Development. During his post-graduate studies, he travelled in Israel, India, South Africa, and Barbados conducting research and learning about different cultures and their struggles. He also spent time in Switzerland working with UN Watch. These experiences helped shape Aaron’s current trajectory.

Aaron now lives in Vancouver where he is working with King David and three interfaith (Muslim, Christian, and Jewish) schools in rural Uganda. Aaron aims to incorporate project-based learning into the classroom. To do this, he is helping King David’s Marketing 12 class work with a Ugandan-based Interfaith Coffee Cooperative, Delicious Peace, to expand into a Canadian or North American market. With Aaron’s guidance, the Biology 11 class is also preparing lesson plans for use in the Semei Kungulu High School in Uganda to teach their students about nutrition, crop productivity, and agriculture. Aaron has also written a children’s book called The Walking School Bus which aims to raise awareness and funds for communities who lack access to education.

When asked about his favourite King David memory, Aaron describes a sunny, crisp autumn day when Jess, our incredible custodian, knocked on Dorin’s Hebrew class to ask for some volunteers to help build the Sukkah. He comments that "the following hours were spent with some of my best friends and Jess, who gave reassuring instruction and helped to create one of my fondest memories."

Aaron’s advice to this year’s Grade 12 class is to "invest time in learning from those around you. The conversations and often humbling knowledge exchange is invaluable."

To learn more about the Delicious Peace collaboration, please click here.

Cooking is my passion. This love began by chance when I was putting the final touches to my MA thesis in Israel. Between research and rewrites I would take to the kitchen to cook up comfort food, healthy food, yummy food. Before long, I was so looking forward to my time in the kitchen that it became the focus of my day. As I handed in my thesis, my supervisor asked me, "what is your next step?" I replied, "Baking." In 2005 I moved to Vancouver with my husband and three children, and enrolled into the Dubrulle culinary school at the Arts Institute, where I earned a diploma in pastry. Then I was asked to run cooking lessons for kids at the JCC and that was the seed that led to the creation of The Dizzy Whisk, where I spent nine years teaching culinary skills and how to prepare food from scratch to kids and families.

Travel is another passion of mine, and food is very much a focus of my travels. Sicilian gelato, Moroccan tagines, and a huge pot of steaming, fragrant kibe soup at Machane Yehuda market in Jerusalem are just few of my inspirations. As a chef, a foodie, and an avid traveller I am very much looking forward to joining King David and to bringing both Jewish and world flavours into the kitchen.

Vianney Cabrera

Development and Adminstrative Assistant

I was born and raised in Mexico, but moved Vancouver 13 years ago. I love life in this beautiful and multicultural city. For the past few years I have travelled and worked in three different countries – Canada, Germany and France – but my heart has always remained in Vancouver. I recently completed a Publishing Diploma at Langara College. I am very excited to have this opportunity and look forward to applying my knowledge and contributing my skills to all of you at King David.

Shabbat Conversation Starter

Parsha: Vayeishev

Genesis 37:1-40:23

In this week’s parsha discussion we showed the students a bizarre piece of text. Jacob sends his son Joseph to bring a message to his brothers, who are away from the house. On the way he meets a man. The strange language of the text seems to indicate that this is not a man at all, but rather an angel who warns Joseph that his brothers are no longer acting in a brotherly way toward him and have come up with and rationalized reasons to kill him. I don’t know about you, but if I was Joseph I would high-tail it out of there. But Joseph does not do this. In fact, he goes out of his way to catch up with his brothers.

Why would he do this? We saw several explanations. One that we discussed was that sometimes one has to be ready to sacrifice something to make a point, especially when that point is not taken seriously. Today we rarely are asked to die for our beliefs, but do we live for them? How much are we willing and able to sacrifice in order to show we mean it and are serious? Are we willing to make the 10th in minyan even though we do not regularly pray? Are we willing to not attend a film festival because they do no accept films from Israelis? What do we stand for, and how do we express it in our daily lives?

I welcome you to have this conversation with your son or daughter at the shabbos table this week and feel free to let me know how it goes.

Good Shabbos

Rabbi Stephen Berger

Support Jewish Education: Give to our Annual Campaign

The King David High School of today is the result of a community that understands the vision and value of a Jewish education. This year, 207 students are on the road to graduating with the knowledge, principles, and sense of community that will enable them to create extraordinary futures.

As we launch our second Annual Fund Campaign we ask you to sustain that shared vision by making a gift to the Annual Fund that is meaningful and within your means. Thank you for your continued support.